Her Smile
by Iced Insanity
Summary: [One shot] He ran away. She faithfully waited for his return. When Inuyasha does come back, will Kagome really welcome him with open arms?


**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: **Hmm. While working on my other story, _Saving the Spirits_, I decided to write a one-shot, since I haven't had any good progress with new uploaded chapter. This is my first non-AU (obviously) and I hope y'all like it.

Oh, before you start reading: it's a mild Inu/Kag fic, along with the usual love triangle that causes your eyes to swell with tears and your fingers curl into fists when Kikyo always gets what she wants. Except this time, there's a little twist to it.

This story is mostly angsty and hardly happy, all because of Tom Cruise's movie, _The Last Samurai. _The stupid & crappy ending that my opinions did not like has influenced me to write this one-shot with my mediocre talent. But nonetheless, I hope you drama and angst lovers like it. Hopefully you won't mind my, uh, bad grammar?

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**Her Smile  
****x Iced Insanity**

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Once upon a time, thousands and thousands of years ago, there lived a hanyou. He was born to a human mother and a demon father, both of which had loved and cherished their son very much. He was raised by his mother during his early years, until a fateful accident occurred, rendering him motherless. The hanyou son had no where to turn to; he never saw much more than a glimpse of his father, and his other living relatives would not accept him as a member of the family. The hanyou was shunned out of society, the very same thing his mother had been trying so hard to protect him from. But the hanyou did not know this, however, for all his years growing up he wished just to be a part of it, just to be accepted.

His father had died sometime later during his childhood years as well, only after he had given his son a sword crafted out of his very own fang. The sword became legendary from then on: with just one swipe, Tetsusaiga could kill a raging horde of demons without restraint. For that fact alone, many sought after it – including the young hanyou's elder brother.

Nonetheless, the hanyou was still alone. He grew up near a village filled with human people and a beautiful priestess – whom he had kept an eye on for so long. He wasn't attracted to her for her beauty, but for what she possessed: a jewel. The jewel and priestess were out of the ordinary. Special, as one could call them. The jewel, unlike any other, was called the Shikon no Tama: the jewel of four souls. It was said that the soul of Midoriko, the _best_ warrior of her time had existed there, in an ongoing battle with demons. It was also said that a person who made a wish on the jewel could have it granted. That was the reason why so many feared it, and so many wanted it. In the wrong hands, the jewel could be a weapon.

It was then entrusted to that kindhearted priestess. She had a soul so pure, so free of any kind of evils that existed, and a magical talent that enabled her to do almost anything she wished. She held power in her hands, but for the sake of others she used all her morality and strength to keep that temptation of using the jewel at bay. Instead that priestess focused her attention on keeping the jewel safe. With the help of some of the villagers, she vanquished any demon who came anywhere near the treasure with so much as a hint of a selfish thought. One of those demons included the Inu-hanyou.

Eventually the priestess was tired after all their fights, and one day she spotted him near and offered him her friendship. Grudgingly – or at least, it was how he appeared to be – he accepted her offer and soon the two became allies. But one thing soon led to another, and the two soon fell in love. They both knew their feelings to each other, and the priestess could not help but think of herself and their future. She loved him, yes, but wanted him more as a human. So the human and hanyou made a deal: use the Shikon no Tama to make the hanyou a human.

However, as luck would have it, their plan had backfired because of another man who completed the love triangle. He was selfish: if he could not have the priestess of his own, he figured, then no one else could have her. He devised a plan while the two lovers peacefully slept under separate roofs – one, a wooden roof, and the other, a roof of stars – to completely break the trust, love, and the life the two had forged over time. Unfortunately for those two star-struck lovers, the plan succeeded, resulting in a dead priestess, a hanyou under a spell, and the jewel gone astray.

Fate disagreed with the whole situation, and a thousand years later, a baby girl was born to an average family named Higurashi. Though they did not know it yet, the girl was also special, for one day she would change history altogether. One day she would travel through those thousands of years and meet up with the spell-fallen hanyou and complete her mission that her incarnate could not.

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"Sango," Said a bell-like, feminine voice. "Has Inuyasha returned yet?"

A young woman peered outside from the doorway of a small hut. Kagome Higurashi was back again in the feudal era, sacrificing her school grades once again while she battled against demons and searched for the shards of the Shikon Jewel itself. She gazed around with her large, almond-shaped grey eyes in search of her friend, the demon exterminator. A hand came up to shield her line of vision from the glaring, merciless sun. It already had scorched her soft skin since the moment she stepped out into the hot afternoon day. How unusual that after hours in the sun, her skin had still remained pale and almost translucent.

"Inuyasha?" Answered Sango lazily. "He hasn't returned for a full day or so. It's strange, since usually he's sulking nearby until you return from your school."

Kagome was silent.

"Oh, I'm sure he will be back soon," Sango added with forced cheerfulness. "He's always happy to see you, no matter what he does to try and hide it."

Kagome knew her friend's words were just simply just another game they played each time she returned from the well whenever she saw no Inuyasha waiting for her. Sango would always say the same line over again cheerfully, while Kagome would reply in turn with equally forced optimism, with a laugh and a few words similar to 'You're right.' However, both knew very well that Inuyasha was always off in search of her earlier incarnate, and when the two former lovers were together… Oh, Kagome didn't even want to even _think_ about it. It broke her heart whenever he wasn't there to greet her with a smirk or reply to her comments with a grumpy, 'Feh.' Or whatever he usually did. Kagome had grown to love him against her own will.

"Thank you, Sango," She whispered. "I guess I'll go take a short walk for now. If Inuyasha returns when I'm not here, tell him where I've gone to?"

"Of course."

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Kagome lay in her futon bed, one arm draped across the sleeping Shippo next to her. Still, after so much time, Inuyasha still hadn't returned. And yet here she was, still waiting for him. Whereas most girls would have given up already, Kagome stood her place, faithfully waiting for him to return. Not only was she faithfully waiting, but she also was waiting with open arms. No matter what, she always found a way to forgive him.

What a fool she had turned out to be. She desperately wanted to get over him; already Kagome could not count how many times she tried, but her mind and heart still would not settle. Vivid images of a hanyou with golden, amber eyes and gleaming silver hair would always haunt her in her dreams. Often times she would wake up at night, calling herself a hopeless case, only to cry herself to sleep all over again.

Life had not shown her any mercy, but yet she had managed to live things through with a smile. Her circle of friends probably could not fathom the inner turmoil she suffered within. It was so, _so _hard to watch Inuyasha run off to a girl that was already long dead. Imagine what that simple fact did to her self-esteem: one would rather choose a hollow shell consisted mostly of dirt than her, a living, breathing, genuine person.

A distant curse and the rustle of footsteps made Kagome sit upright. Locks of hair falling neatly against her back, she quietly inched out of her sleeping bag and made sure Shippo was as comfortable as before. After her mission was accomplished, Kagome cast one last glance at the sleeping forms of Sango, Miroku, and Kaede before she left the hut to rejoin the now returning hanyou.

The moon shone through the cloudless night sky, enabling Kagome's vision to be clearer. She silently thanked Kami for this feat and hurried over to Inuyasha, who appeared to be in a foul mood as ever. She called out his name, and much to her displeasure, he did not respond.

"Inuyasha," She whispered softly, once he neared. Feebly she reached out for his arm and grabbed it, gently making him face her. He looked away, but only after Kagome saw the look in his eyes. Unlike when he usually came home from his visits with Kikyo, no sense of remorse inhabited in his fiery golden orbs. Instead, there lay a certain sense of sadness and loss, one of which Kagome could not describe. Gingerly she reached out and cupped his cheek, wincing inwardly when Inuyasha stiffened.

_What on earth…? _

"Inuyasha," She began again, looking up at him from under her thick, dark eyelashes. "What happened?"

For the longest moment he gazed down at her solemnly and silently, his expression pained and vulnerable. Kagome felt her lips form a straight line, and for a time she thought he would not answer her question until he took hold of her and grabbed her to him, her body molding perfectly into his. It was then that all thoughts escaped her mind, and Kagome hugged him back, burying her face into his shoulder. She could feel his soft rugged breath against her hair, knowing he was close to tears but would dare not cry.

"She's gone," He said eventually; 'she' meaning Kikyo. His voice was hoarse, as if he had done a lot of shouting earlier. "She turned back into the ashes that she was supposed to be."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said in reply, pulling away just to get a glimpse of him. "We knew how much she meant to you. If only… If only I had been in her place, you would have been happier, wouldn't you?"

"Idiot girl," Was his response. "Don't see why you go to school anyway. Doesn't do you any good."

A startled Kagome stared up expressionlessly at her companion; her grey eyes wide as she caught his underlying message. He surely couldn't be… He was just… no. Right?

"But…" She said again, after a silence fell on the two. "I'm glad you're back."

"You're… not mad?" He asked her, gazing intently into her face. Kagome shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, easing herself a good ways from his hold. She bowed her head low, her lower lip in between two sets of teeth. Despite her feelings, she knew she understood why he had gone. Kikyo had probably sensed her final last days and paid her Inuyasha a visit. Kagome knew she could not blame her; even Kikyo deserved to deliver her final goodbyes. But still… She could not help but feel jealous.

"Before… before… she…" Inuyasha added, almost hesitantly. "Well, she gave you her blessings."

"It wouldn't matter," Kagome said quietly, deciding at last to look back up at him. "I understand."

And she sent him a small smile, and along with it she repaired their trust and their future. With just that smile, she relayed to him all the words that she did not dare to voice aloud. To any passersby that night, it could have been just a simple smile, but to Inuyasha, it was everything he wanted – and more.

Kagome held out her hand and he accepted, his long fingers curling around her own. They interlaced their fingers and started on their way back to the hut, where both could stay and rest for the day ahead.

Fate was at its work again.

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**Author's note: **Well, what did you think about it? I don't know if anyone else thought up this story before, but I assure you, I made it up as I watched that Taka lady give Tom a small smile when he came home from the war. So it's all x Iced Insanity genuine, kupo!

Anyway, please review. I'll give you a cookie. ;;


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